47 Meters Down is Getting a Sequel From the Same Director

Moviegoers who enjoyed this summer’s underwater survival horror/thriller 47 Meters Downare in luck, as a sequel is officially under development (with Johannes Roberts returning to direct), under the title 48 Meters Down. Centering around a pair of sisters who go to Mexico on holiday only to find themselves stranded at the bottom of the ocean after a cage diving accident leaves them surrounded by man-eating great white sharks, 47 Meters Down was headlined by Mandy Moore (This Is Us) and Claire Holt (The Vampire Diaries)as said sisters.

Co-written by Roberts and Ernest Riera, 47 Meters Down managed to make a formidable dent at the summer box office, garnering $53.6 million in ticket sales on a modest budget of $5.5 million. Whether or not general viewers will be overly enthused over the idea of revisiting the same deep sea waters anytime soon is up for debate, though it would appear that production studio The Fyzz Facility is intent on doing so regardless, with the followup 48 Meters Down.

According to THR, The Fyzz Facility is currently hard at working in getting the horror sequel 48 Meters Down up and off the ground, with Roberts and Riera both returning to their respective roles for round two. The sequel is set to take place in Brazil and will center around a group of young women who decide to explore some hidden underwater ruins located off-the-beaten trail. Unfortunately for everyone involved, they’re not the only ones intent on occupying said ruins. 48 Meters Down will once again be overseen by Altitude Film Sales, with potential buyers currently being sought in Toronto.

47 Meters Down even managed to become the highest-grossing indie hit of the summer in the U.S., and The Fyzz Facility representative James Harris couldn’t be more excited to bring general audiences 48 Meters Down. Speaking to the studio’s intentions in green-lighting the sequel, Harris stated:

“We are so pleased by the huge success of 47 Meters Down, it totally exceeded all expectations. 48 Meters Down will take the claustrophobia of cave diving and the thrill of shark encounters and move everything to the next level.”

Based on the box office success of the first film in the series, 48 Meters Down may very well go on to become another surprise hit with domestic audiences when it finally makes its way to theaters. Sharks and shark attacks continue to be a compelling narrative that American audiences seem to be perennially fascinated by, and as such it’s easy to see why Roberts’ first film will soon receive the sequel treatment.